Brush for street-cleaning machines



Feb, 1,7. l925, Y

A. BERTRAM BRUSH POR STREET CLEANING MACHINES INVENTOR A T T ORNE Y Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES AUGUST BER-TRANI, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BRUSH FOR STREET-CLEANJING MACHINES.

Application led May 23, 1922. Serial No. 563,065.

y .To all 107mm t may concern.'

Be it known that l AUGUST Bian'rnaar, a

and StateV of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brushes for Street-Cleaning Machines, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to street sweeping machines and has for its object to provide brushes therefor with means which while the brushes revolve will produce strong air blasts having the effect to loosen particles of dirt and stir up the dust adhering to the ground and thus enable a perfect sweeping of the street and gutter.

lVith these and other objects in view my invention consists in the. novel construction arrangement and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and defined in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged `cross sectional view of a brush; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 ofv the blast producing mechanism of a brush; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional perspective view of movable bearing for the axle of' abrush.

Referring tothe drawings in detail, 61 denotes a brush constructed according to my invention and provided with al plurality of' blast producing devices which during the Vrotation of the brush will produce. strongl air blasts which will have the elifect of stirring` up `the dust or loosening particles n each space are pins or arms 142 to the outer ends of which are secured bearings 143 in which is rotatively borne a spindle 144 extending longitudinally of and parallel to the spindle 100. The end of the spindle 144 that projects outwardly from the inner end of the brush or space 141 carries an eccentrically curved arm 145 extending toward the axis of the brush. Fixed to spindle 144 is also a longitudinally extending bar 155 to which is suitably secured a socket 15G made of sheet metal and in which is borne a member 157 of flexible material, as rubber or the like. The flexible member extends substantially throughout the entire length of the brush and is adapted to bear with its outer longitudinal edge on the ground. Fixed to the bearings 143 of' the spindle 144 is a plate 160 from which is yieldingly suspended, as by a hinge 159 or the like, a frame `158 extending throughout the length of' the flexible member 157 and having end flanges 158, said flexible member being adapted to normally engage said frame and lie close to the inner face thereof'.

Carried by the pin 142 located near the inner end of the brush is a horizontal arm 147 which also projects outwardly from the space 141 and has fulcrumed thereon a bell crank 146. One arm of said bell crank carries a roller 148 adapted to snugly bear on the concaved inner face of the curved arm 145 and the other arm carries a roller 149 adapted during the rotation of the brush to ride over a cam surface 150 formed on a stationary arm 151 and located in the path of said roller 149.

Each bell crank 146 is actuated by a spring 152 of which one end is secured to a stationary arm 153 projecting from the arm 147 and the other to an arm 152 projecting from the spindle 144.

During each revolution of the brush cach bell crank 146 will be once operated by the cam surface 150 and cause the flexible surface 157 of each to swing rearwardlj4 around the axis of the spindle 144, and ou being released from the cam 150 to be instantaneously and vigorously thrust towards the back or Ytrame 158. As a result thereof the air confined between said flexible surface 157 and the frame 15S will be expelled creating a strong blast that will stil' up the dust and dirt particles on the ground so as to be swept away by the succeeding tuft of the brush.

The axle 100 for cach front brush is supported in a bracket 101 by means of a vertically movable bearing bar 102 formed laterally with end flanges 102a movably engaging the bracket 101 (Fig. 4). Rotativelj mounted on the axle 100 is also a sleeve 103 on which is fixed a sprocket wheel 9). The sleeve 104 of the brush is provided at its inner end with tooth shaped projections 105 adapted to engage axial correspondingly agi shaped.. recesses 106 formed in the sleeve 103,- whereby rotary motion is "transmitted to the brush from a driven shaft (not shown) through chain 97, .sprocket wheel 99 and sleeve 103. Y

llien used as a right side brush'l the latter is adapted to be resiliently yielding in axial direction, in order thatit ,may adaptvitself to the curvature of the curb, when the machine turns a` corner vand to l'enable the thoroughsweepingof the gutter. This' is acco'mplishedby providingva spring coill107 between a washer 108 fixed to the inner end ofthe sleeve 1041 anda washer 103 fixed to the sleeve 103. At the'cuter end of the sleeve '104, I provide ya disc 10.8, which serves to shield 'the lbristles 141 of the 'brush against curbstones.

The operation of 'the machine will cbe understood from the detailed description `of the different mechanisms. Y

It is evident that the mechanisms may lbe variously 'modified vwithout departing Yfrom the 'principle =o'f my finvention. 'I, therefore, ydo not wish to restrict myself to the details described :and shown,v

lha-t I claim is 1.- Inf'a 'streetsweeping machine, a rotary br'u'sh, a stationary 'cam Vsurface and vblast producing ineansbetween'the tufts of said bru'sh operated from said camsurface.

2. In a street sweeping machine,a rotary *brush lraving its'tufts of bristles radially spacediapart, La plur'a-lityf o'fblast prodiicing` members in the spaces between said tufts, actuating means projecting outwardly "from said spaces and a -stationaryfcam surface arranged in the path of said actuating means' to successively operate said blast-producing members during' the rotation of lsaid brush. Y Y

Ak3. fIn a street sweeping machine, ak rotary brush,and a plurality of-'blast producing means therein, each comprising a rocking flexible surface, a -rigid surface adjacent thereto `and means for causing said flexible surface to periodically swing away from said rigid surface and be subsequently thrust back expelling vthe air between itself and said rigid surface. l

. et.V In a.streetfsweeping machine, a rotary brush and a plurality of blast producing means therein, each comprising a rocking ing-surface is ladapted to .be periodically thrust to-y createa blast of air.

Y 6.y In a street sweeping machine, v'a rotary ibrush and a-plurality of radially '..a-rraanged blast producing means therein, each coniprising'a rocking surface, 1a 'cam operated spring controlled leverthereforand arearwardly tiltingrigid-surface against vwhichV said rocking surface is adapted' to be periodically thrust to create a'blast of yair.

7. `In a streetvsweeping machine, an axle, a rotary brush composed of a sleeve rotatable and axially displaceable on `said axle, tufts arranged in radially yextend- Ying spaced lrows laround the circumference ofsaid sleeve and fixed thereto,-fblast `producing means in the spaces lee-tween said xrows of tufts, means for transmitting motion to ssar'd lsleeve and resilient means-Ebetween said means and said sleeve tending to hold it against axial'displacement.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in fpresence roftwo witnesses.

AUGUST -fBERI`RAM -lVitnesses "MASI-r. ORDMANN,

JOSEPH T. iMcMAI-roN. 

